Joan Baez, born on January 9th, 1941, is an American folk singer and a song… Read Full Bio ↴Joan Baez, born on January 9th, 1941, is an American folk singer and a songwriter who is of mixed Mexican and Scottish descent. Baez rose to prominence in the early '60s with her stunning renditions of traditional balladry.

In the late '60s and early '70s, Baez came into her songwriting own, penning many songs (most notably "Diamonds & Rust," a nostalgic piece about her ill-fated romance with Bob Dylan, and "Sweet Sir Galahad," a song about sister Mimi Fariña's ( of Richard & Mimi Fariña fame) second marriage, and continued to meld her songcraft with topical issues. She was outspoken in her disapproval of the Vietnam war and later the CIA-backed coups in many Latin American countries.

She was also instrumental in the Civil Rights movement, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King on many occassions and being jailed for her beliefs. In 1963, her performance of "We Shall Overcome" at the Lincoln Memorial just prior to Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream..." speech helped confirm the song as the Civil Rights anthem.

In December 1972, she traveled to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and was caught in that country's "Christmas Campaign," in which the U.S. bombed the city more times than any other during the entire war. While pregnant with her only son, Gabriel, she performed a handful of songs in the middle of the night on day one of the 1969 Woodstock festival. She is considered the "Queen of Folk" for being at the forefront of the 1960s folk revival and inspiring generations of female folksingers that followed. On July 28, 2019, following dates across Europe, Baez performed her final concert at Madrid's Teatro Real. In January 2021, Baez received a 2020 Kennedy Center Honor.

Hickory Wind
Joan Baez Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In south carolina
There are many tall pines
I remember the oak tree
That we used to climb

But it makes me feel better
Each time it begins
Callin' me home

Hickory wind

I started out younger
At most everything
All the riches and pleasures
What else could life bring

But now when I'm lonesome
I always pretend
That I'm gettin' the feel of
Hickory wind

It's a hard way to find out
That trouble is real
In a far away city
With a far away feel

But it makes me feel better
Each time it begins
Callin' me home
Hickory wind

Keeps callin' me home
Hickory wind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Hickory Wind" by Joan Baez are about nostalgia, homesickness, and finding solace in memories. The song starts by setting the scene in South Carolina, where the tall pine trees and oak trees used to be an integral part of the singer's life. The memories of climbing the oak tree make her feel better when she is feeling lonely and homesick. The chorus brings out the theme of the song, where the hickory wind is symbolic of her longing for home and the safety and comfort it represents.

In the second verse, the lyrics tell the story of the singer's past, where she started out young and ambitious, seeking for riches and pleasures, but now she is lonesome and all she wants is the feeling of the hickory wind, which is a metaphor for a place of belonging and safety. The bridge of the song speaks to the disorientation and disillusionment of being in a far-off city where trouble seems real, and the hickory wind provides a sense of return to safety and simplicity. The song concludes with the chorus, where the hickory wind keeps calling her home.

Overall, the song is a reflection of the human experience of nostalgia and homesickness. The hickory wind is symbolic of the need to belong and return to a place of safety and comfort, and the memories of childhood provide solace in the face of loneliness.

Line by Line Meaning

In south carolina
In the state of South Carolina

There are many tall pines
There are a lot of tall pine trees

I remember the oak tree
I have a vivid memory of the oak tree

That we used to climb
That my friends and I used to climb

But it makes me feel better
But listening to this song makes me feel better

Each time it begins
Every time the song starts

Callin' me home
Reminding me of home

Hickory wind
The feeling of nostalgia and longing for home

I started out younger
When I was younger

At most everything
Trying most things

All the riches and pleasures
All the wealth and pleasures in life

What else could life bring
What else could life offer me

But now when I'm lonesome
But now that I feel lonely

I always pretend
I often imagine

That I'm gettin' the feel of
That I'm experiencing the same emotions as

Hickory wind
Nostalgia and longing for home

It's a hard way to find out
It's difficult to learn

That trouble is real
That problems and difficulties are real

In a far away city
In a city far from home

With a far away feel
With a sense of being far from home

Keeps callin' me home
Continues to remind me of home

Hickory wind
Nostalgia and longing for home

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Bob Buchanan, Gram Parsons

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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